Philadelphia, PA, United States (AHN Sports) - Boxing great Joe Frazier died late Monday night in Philadelphia after a brief battle with liver cancer.
Frazier, 67, was most famous for a series of classic fights vs. the great Muhammad Ali, who was his rival in and out of the ring for most of his career and after it came to an end.
The pair came to have a grudging respect for each other over the years, and Frazier even indicated he forgave Ali for hurtful comments he made about "Smokin' Joe" in an apparent effort to hype their fights.
His family asked to be able to grieve on its own and would have more on "our father's homecoming celebration" at a later time.
HBO fight analyst Larry Merchant, who became friendly with the ex-champ, said Frazier will be dearly missed.
"This is a body blow to me because I knew him personally as well as professionally," Merchant told ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. "I thought he was as honest and as real a fighter as there ever was. He followed in a tradition of (Jack) Dempsey and (Rocky) Marciano as the 'Warrior King.' "
Frazier, who hailed from Beaufort, South Carolina but lived mostly in Philly, was 32-4-1 with 27 knockouts in an outstanding career.
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